The Hacker Games
by Phoenixfire123
Summary: Boredom and Wayne charity galas do not mix. Unfortunately, they often do, and when the situation calls for it then it can't be helped that past (and future) Robins get in trouble to reject the boredom. Batbros fluff. one-shot.


**A/N** : I tell myself not to start any projects and finish what I have, and I go ahead anyway. But at least it's only a one-shot, a really long one, but a one-shot.

This is my first Young Justice fic (and any DC related for that matter) that came to me while re-watching the series and begged to be written down. Like anytime I write something for a new fandom, I'm nervous. But o'well, I'm 95 percent happy with this.

A note for ages: Dick is 14, Jason 12, Tim 10. Dick is so far the only Robin, although he recently became Nightwing, Jason is training to be the next Robin, and Tim is just a bored genius ten year old. I don't know if Tim's origin changed for YJ, so I made this going off that he did figure out who Dick and Bruce were as a kid.

Rated T for a couple cases of swearing (surprisingly most of it not from Jason) and mentions of underage drinking.

* * *

The preteen had a sullen face as he tugged on his tie. Sharp blue eyes glared at his older brother as the other boy prepared to drag him away. "Why do we have to go to this?" Jason asked, stepping closer to the safety of his bed. He pulled at his tie, like he could rip it off without untying it or strangling himself.

"Because Bruce asked us to. And so did _Alfred_. We're not getting out of this, Jay." Dick was looking forward to it as much, which was to say not at all.

"Why do we have to?" Jason tried again, one step closer to his bed. "It's not like we will do anything useful for them there."

The older child pressed his lips together. It was really hard to convince someone when he stuck convincing himself. The topic of debate, of course, was whether or not the two needed to attend the one of many Wayne charity galas. He moved closer, knowing Jason could be skittish and dodge out of the way if he did anything beyond incremental movements. "They don't trust us to the rest of the manor unsupervised."

"That's an excuse." The small boy flopped on his bed and clung to the covers for dear life.

"It's not. It's fact." Figuring subtly was futile, Dick grabbed Jason's arm and tried to haul him off the bed. The boy did not yield easily. Dick remembered his sugar-high the one time he convinced Bruce to not let him attend. He ended up calling Wally and the two prank called the billionaire and whoever else they could think of. It was his idea, although it was never hard to convince his best friend to prank someone.

Jason dug his fingers into the fabric as the teenager managed to lift him, dragging the blankets with him. "That's you. I'm a little angel."

Dick snorted. "As if. I already corrupted you a week after we learned to get along. Now come on! You're just getting your suit wrinkled, and I need to meet my friends."

The former street kid sighed dramatically and allowed Dick to place him on his feet next to the bed. "Why can't I meet them? I already met that redhead- Wally."

"You're going to be Robin soon, and Bruce will want you to keep who you are a secret like I had to. It'll be too obvious to figure out if they know you're my brother." He had finally told them his own identity as a statement of trust when he became Nightwing. When the Bat confronted him about it, Dick replied sourly. "No longer your 'sidekick.' My own hero, my choice." Okay, it may have also been a moment of rebellion against his father.

Jason gritted his teeth, "You just don't want me to hang out with you." Dick ruffled his hair and left the room.

"That's not true. You're fun, Jaybird. And if it was true, it's normal for big brothers to get creative in order to get alone time with their friends." He could tell that did nothing to put Jason in a better mood. He sighed and dragged Jason out of the room.

-/-

Dick remembered why he hated these events as he stood among the elite of Gotham with a bored look on his face. He almost felt bad to make sure Jason was here as well, but if he had to suffer, he wasn't going to be the only one. Once he found the rest of the team, they could find something to do. They were tasked with security, but he doubted anything would happen. In this city though, who knew?

Eyes expertly surveyed the surroundings. A minute later, he spotted Wally- with a glass of champagne. His eye twitched in annoyance and he hurried to his friend's side. "Psst. What are you doing with that? Do you know how much trouble we'll be in if we're caught underage drinking- here?" The teen shrugged. He had debated if it was really worth it, but now with his friend wanting to stop him, he took a sip to spite him.

"It'sone glass. And if they don't want kids to get drunk, they should offer nonalcoholic beverages." Dick didn't bother to point out there were nonalcoholic drinks available and instead swiped the glass from his hand. "Hey! How else am I supposed to hold off my boredom?"

"You'll manage." He moved his hand an inch to the side as Wally's super speed attempted to get the glass back. Dick smirked and scanned the crowd again. He spotted Roy-also-under-aged-Harper with another drink of champagne. Narrowing his eyes, he marched over, and with practiced ease stole the offending beverage.

"What? How did you even?" Roy ran his hand through his hair and glared. Dick shrugged.

"Practice. Besides, Jason has taught me some pickpocketing tips."

"You're being a hypocrite. What's that in your hand?"

"I took it away from Wally." Wally appeared at their sides and tried to get his glass back. This time, Dick held it up an inch and raised his brow.

The redhead crossed his arms and waited for an opening. "How is a guy younger and shorter than us keeping the drinks out of reach?"

"I know you two too well." Dick wanted to haughtily take a sip, but then he would really be a hypocrite. Plus, he rather not deal with his friends' germs.

"Fine then. If you're going to be the responsible one, what do you propose we do?" Roy admitted defeat, eyes still heated, but somewhat hopeful that the young hero had ideas out of this boring event.

The fourteen year old searched his mind for ideas. He had as many good ideas as he had when he dragged Jason down the stairs. "I was thinking we could find the others and… talk away the boredom." 'Wow, good job, Dick. One out of ten.'

"So you're thinking…" Roy spoke slowly. "…For a bunch of teenage heroes to deal with the mediocracy of this gala… by small talk?"

Dick winced and nodded. Roy waved him off. "Not buying it. I'll see you guys later." The young adult shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away. The black-haired teen frowned and watched his friend's retreating back.

"Do you think he's alright?" he asked Wally, walking over to a nearby trash can and dumping the contents of the glasses in it. He then placed them on a passing tray.

"I dunno. He's still caught up in finding 'the original Roy.' Hasn't been around nearly as much so it's hard to tell." Wally was about as worried, but it was hard to help their friend when he didn't talk to them.

"There you two are." A serious voice wandered over to them. Kaldur walked over a glass in his hand. Wally huffed and glared at it.

"It's punch." Dick supplied.

"Dude, you know it has to be spiked."

Confused on why the two were so wrapped in his drink, Kaldur's brows furrowed slightly in confusion. "It's not."

"Alfred won't let any spiked drinks get passed him." Dick shook his head and chuckled. "Let it drop and find everyone."

-/-

Megan watched the people around them with wide eyes. While she was curious to see how these huge human events transpired, she admitted it was a little dry. Beside her, Conner grunted in disapproval as he removed his tie. His girlfriend frowned and placed a comforting hand on his arm.

"You look great in that, you know." The half-Kryptonian had to be convinced for over an hour to dress up for the event. He opted out of a vest and blazer and instead kept to a black button-down shirt and slacks.

"Thanks." Displeasure did not escape Conner's voice. "I don't want to be in this monkey suit." The disguised Martian rolled her eyes and took his arm.

"I see Artemis over there. Let's meet up with her and see where everyone else is."

The blonde was grumbling to herself when they reached her, adjusting her deep green dress in attempts to appear more decent. Seeing her friends, she smiled in relief. She just hoped this night wasn't a complete drag. She remembered how the meeting went before, Dick had failed to sell it.

-/-

Everyone on the team was crowded in the kitchen, Dick leaning with his elbows on the counter, spinning his shades between his fingers. "Come on, guys. Now that you know who I am I have an excuse to invite you."

Artemis slapped Wally's hand half-heartedly to stop him from grabbing more snacks. He ignored it and grabbed another anyway with a grin. "What are these galas like? Any fun at all? I read about them in the paper all the time. Doesn't seem my style at all."

"No, they're always boring." Dick supplied. "I don't see them being anyone's style. But Bruce needs some discreet security and I signed us up."

They all exchanged tired looks. "It does sound like an easy mission." Kaldur spoke up. "It can't be that bad."

Raquel waved her hand at them. "You guys have been on this team the longest. You can do the boring mission. We'll set up a real party once everyone returns."

Zatanna gave Dick an 'I'm sorry but not really' face and nodded in agreement. "We'll stay here. Good luck."

-/-

Tim Drake hunched his shoulders boredom as he leaned against the refreshments table. Earlier that night, he was looking forward to coming to this Wayne charity gala, but now he regretted tagging along with his parents. He wanted to find Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, and then he realized that doing so and admitting he knew their secret was a tad creepy and potentially dangerous. He may still do it, but only if he saw them and felt desperate.

He took a sip of the punch, amazed that he could not detect any alcohol in it. Then again, he knew the surveillance of this gala was top-notch and strict. He grinned.

His mind drifted as he thought of the last few months. A new hero called Nightwing was making a name for himself, and from his appearance and similar moves Tim could tell it was one Richard Grayson. It felt odd though, there being a Batman without a Robin. He told himself it was none of his business, yet that did not mean he had not mulled over it nightly since he figured it out.

"Oh thank god." Tim was brought out of his thoughts when a young voice approached. He did not recognize the older boy and took note that he looked uncomfortable dropped in the middle of this event.

"Do I know you?" He asked politely. It would do no good to deter one of the only younger faces here, which Tim guessed was the reason he was approached in the first place.

"No. I'm merely happy that I'm not the lone kid stuck here." Tim picked up on an accent, but it was slight, like the other boy had started to grow out of it. Curious, he offered his hand.

"Tim Drake. It is nice to see a more kids here. We can all suffer together." His voice was dry; however, he did his best to stay polite.

He loosened his tie more, mumbled what suspiciously sounded like "rich people," before accepting the formality and taking his hand. "Name's Jason." He didn't offer a last name, and Tim didn't ask. He relaxed, though, seeing no point to keep up the formal act if both of them hated it.

"So, now that is out of the way, do you have any plans here or are we stuck?" The best thing was to get down to business. Jason appeared to disagree. His shoulders deflated.

"I don't have any. I half-planned that since you seem accustomed here that you will have some. I wanted to spy on my brother and his friends, but they'll notice too easily." Jason glared at the surrounding ballroom. How he said brother, almost gruffly, as if he was not used to giving the title, caused Tim to tilt his head, curiosity spiked more. He had one option, but he was unsure if followed through he would be alive at the end of the night.

"I can hack into the security cameras here, and we can spy on them." He said it so plainly that Jason gaped at him.

"Are you kidding me? Do you know how hard it will be to hack into the security, _here_?"

'I have a good idea.' Tim's mouth quirked into a small smile. "I should be able to do it."

"You're mad." The older child shook his head, but his eyes lit up. "Prove it." This was a bad idea, but Jason Todd was all for bad ideas when he was bored. Besides, it wasn't if he could be blamed by it.

Tim motioned for the other boy to follow him as they went to a quiet corner. Pulling out his tablet, he turned it on, sitting on the floor and prepared to get to work. Jason sat down next to him, unbelieving eyes staring over his shoulder. Tim paused. He had faith he could do it, but not that he wouldn't get caught. That was as much as a shoe-in as success. "I'm going to die."

"Pfft." Jason coughed into his hand. "The guy doesn't know how to kill. You'll be fine."

Tim didn't bother to ask and set to work. Five minutes later- too much for his liking- he accessed the security cameras. He first clicked on the ones for the ballroom and then glanced at Jason. There were four security cameras set up, which he estimated showed 99% of the people present. Tim brimmed with pride at correctly choosing a spot where neither of the mischief makers showed up.

Jason narrowed his eyes and after a moment pointed to the top left camera. "There he is."

His eyes widened. "Your brother is Dick Grayson?" And that meant his father was Bruce Wayne. Tim's hand twitched before the short shot of envy disappeared.

"Yeah." Jason did not sound as impressed. Tim let out a breath and focused on the correct camera and zoomed in. Then he plugged in his earbuds in and handed one end to his current partner-in-crime, turning the volume up.

-/-

The Team was doing a poor job of keeping entertained. In attempts to brighten the mood, Wally and Dick were regaling the tale of when they prank-called Bruce. "He had like two bags of candy beforehand. It was part of the reason why he declared himself unfit to attend in the first place. Of course, that did not help us in the long run." Wally jabbed his thumb in Dick's direction. They shared a laugh, and the youngest out of them pouted, arms crossed.

"What was bad was the stomach ache the next day. I tried for Alfred's cure-all miracle tea, but he gave me a disappointing look and said I shouldn't smuggle in candy next time."

"Is that why you always ask for sweets at lunch? I realized on your first sugar-high why you should never be allowed on one." Artemis narrowed her eyes, yet it was clear she also took amusement out of the situation.

"Mhm," Dick hummed. Before he could say anything else, the communicator in his ear beeped. Unease prickled up his spine. Bruce said he wouldn't contact them through radio unless something was wrong. "What's up?" His tone conveyed perfect calm.

"Someone hacked into the manor security."

"That's not possible." The feeling budded into dread. "Do you know who is responsible?"

"No. I'm leaving it up to you guys to find out. If you do and need reinforcements let us know, but don't use the communicators. Clark, Diana and Oliver are also here with security. Inform me as soon as you catch the culprits." The line went dead.

Dick signaled the others to a quieter area, most with a concerned air. "We have a security breach. We're tasked to find out who is responsible for hacking into the system. We need to keep off using any radio communication in case they have already tapped into that."

Kaldur glanced at Megan and she nodded, linking their minds. _All good_. He thenexchanged a quick glance with Dick, nodding his head, conceding leadership for this mission since he knew Wayne Manor most, and they would mainly go off his own tech skills. Dick shifted at the extra pressure and pulled up the security. Before he could kick them out (or track) the offender, the person already left. He pursed his lips.

 _Whoever it is, have they broke into the Bat's computer?_ Conner asked. "That's the most important thing isn't it?" He added out loud.

 _No, the Bat would have told me it was a code red if that's the case. It appears it was the manor only._ He walked a few feet, intent on the program in front of him. "Think I locked on to the culprit's device. Let's move."

-/-

He quickly exited when he realized they were found out. Jason tensed beside him, but Tim was wrapped up in his own despair that he paid no mind to the older boy. "I'm so dead."

Jason rolled his eyes. "No, you're not. We can make a break for it."

With shaking hands, he put down his tablet and hit his head on his knees. "Dead."

"Drama queen." Jason muttered and pulled his companion to his feet. "Come on, we can still run." Tim grabbed his tablet and complied.

Wary eyes studied Jason's expression. Hoping he wasn't about to lose his accomplice, he replied. "You have time to leave. I was the one who did it."

The boy went still like he only now realized this. He appeared to debate it to himself, and Tim's stomach dropped. What he said next though surprised him. "No. We can't give in that easy. I know this place pretty well." Jason grabbed his wrist and tugged him along, on the lookout as they exited the ballroom.

Tim, in a brief moment of desperation, tossed his tablet in the nearest garbage bin. That way they couldn't be tracked down. He wished that once they were caught, he could get it back. Jason was whispering where they could hide, and Tim nodded along, not daring to believe they could last more than an hour. Neither noticed the butler watching them. Alfred's face was a blank mask; however, a quick spark of amusement flashed in his eyes. 'I should alert Master Bruce it's not a high security alert and let the young masters sort it out themselves.'

-/-

Dick followed the signal he detected, eyes narrowed. He debated if he should switch to Nightwing, but if the hacker went back to the security cams, then he may give away his identity. So, it was a bunch of undercover teenagers trying to find them. When he conveyed this message, they all agreed.

He stopped by a trash can, spotting a tablet almost carelessly tossed aside. Yep, they dumped it. Picking it up, he was disappointed that it did not seem destroyed or wiped clean. Someone was smart enough to hack into the Wayne's security but not enough to destroy the evidence? He secured the device and within a few seconds he hacked the hacker.

 _Who is it?_ Artemis' voice came over the telepathic link.

He checked, tapping the tablet as he scanned the files. _Tim Drake. I don't know anyone who goes by that at this party._

 _Maybe it's a kid. You said the only ones listed were adults and if they have dependents attending._ That was Wally inputting this time. Dick glared at him. He hadn't mastered his version of the Bat-glare but it was half-way decent.

"Not. Possible."

"We cannot rule anything out." Kaldur commented. _Do you know where we should start searching?_

Dick pocketed the tablet and went back to his own feed of the security. Checking the west camera, he confirmed that it included their current position and rewound it to the right spot. His jaw twitched. Indeed, it appeared to be a child that tossed the device away. What caught him off guard was the second child.

 _Damn it, Jason._ He should have known he could not trust the runt to stay out of trouble. Dick couldn't trust himself to stay out of trouble at these events.

 _Who's Jason?_ Megan inquired and Dick remembered he remained on the telepathic link.

 _Shit._ He swore, and his friends viewed him strangely at the continued cursing and lack of an actual answer. _Baby brother. I shouldn't have enabled him with ideas like this last week._

Ignoring the questioning stares, and Wally's laughter, he walked away. _They headed in this direction. Conner, can you check if you can hear anyone in this house._

Conner closed his eyes and focused once they left the ballroom. With knowledge that this was a childish prank, he was less willing to drag this out longer than necessary. He heard footsteps upstairs and quickened his pace. Everyone followed.

-/-

Jason's first stop was the kitchen where there was a stack of hors d'oeuvres was waiting to be taken out. He grabbed a few spices and added them to the handful he grabbed. Tim stood anxiously behind him, glancing over his shoulder. "Shouldn't we hide?"

"Ready." Jason arranged them on a napkin and proceeded to a swift exit. "You know, I'm the one person besides Alfred that's allowed to work in the kitchen?" Tim shrugged at the random information as they escaped to the nearest study. It wasn't Bruce's – that was locked every time they had events here – but nonetheless well-stocked with books and comfortable chairs surrounding the desk. Locking the door, he turned to his conspirator. "Try it," Jason handed him a hors d'oeuvres, a wicked gleam in his eye.

"What did you add to it?" This sounded like a bad idea.

The older child's grin widened. "Some spices." Tim took one and bit into it and immediately coughed, squeezing his eyes shut. "Red pepper and hot sauce. A fair bit of it." Jason continued, laughing openly.

Several footsteps echoed down the hallway, closer. Closer. They both looked at each other, and Jason jumped back to his feet. "Vents." Tim was dubious. "Dick may be able to – barely – but no one else will fit." Jason clarified and hurried to remove the cover. He had the Tim help him up and then reached down to help. The younger of the two was unsure, yet Jason pulled him up almost effortlessly.

"Jason! Open this door!" Dick pounded on the wood, "Jason!"

"Hurry." Jason turned around. It was a tight fit, but the two future-Robins managed to make their escape as the door burst open.

"Oh, you got to be kidding me!" Dick stared at the empty room, the open vents the clear escape route.

"I don't think we can fit in there." Megan spoke, flying off the ground to check the vents. The escapees already made a turn and there was no sign of them.

Dick checked the sensors in the vents, face equal parts frustrated and confused. The look deepened once nothing came up. "He hacked into system again. They're not coming up."

Wally attempted to stifle his laughter at his friend's plight. Artemis punched his shoulder. "You're being played by a child." The redhead gasped between breathes.

"I believe it's two children." Kaldur corrected.

Dick ran his hands through his hair and growled. "I can't believe this."

The cackle of radio came back to life as Bruce came through on the other end. "It happened again. Any luck?"

"Then why are you using the communicators? I can handle it. There's nothing to worry about; I don't think. It's Jason and another kid." He took out the communicator and tossed it to the side. He was able to hear an 'it shouldn't be possible for kids to do that' come through before it hit the floor. Dick pouted and made to leave the room. "You're telling me."

 _Says the child hacker._ Wally kept laughing, although it faded to chuckles.

 _Shut up._

 _Let him concentrate._ Artemis scolded. The archer seemed entertained despite the words. They all did. Deep down, Dick cackled at the children's success. His pride won't allow him to right now though.

 _This vent comes out in three different spots. Kaldur, Conner, outside third door to the left. Artemis, Wally, and Megan, door by the stairs. I'll check the room all the way down to the right._ Dick didn't wait for his friends to follow his orders. He already left, planning his revenge for Jason with concealed glee. This wasn't over by a long shot.

-/-

The troublemakers made it to the escape room. Jason instructed Tim to lock the door while he secured the vent shut. "This is fun. I didn't know if it would be when I first saw you, but this is a blast so far."

Tim sunk into a red plush chair and buried his face in his hands, "I still think I'm dead." Jason scoffed.

"You're fine. You can't say you're not having fun." He looked over his shoulder. It was difficult to tell, but he noted Tim was smiling through his shame.

Jason hardly sat down in his own seat when he heard someone outside the door. A second later, the lock rattled as someone worked to pick it. "Damn," Jason waved to the window and quickly pushed it open.

"This is the second floor." Tim informed him, standing up and walking to the window nonetheless.

"Exactly. It's only the second floor." Jason took a deep breath and then jumped. Tim was right behind, hesitant.

"Either jump and let me catch you, chicken, or face the consequences of hacking into one of the most secure systems in the world!" Jason yelled up at him. Angry incomprehensible mutterings came from the opposite side of the door and without another thought Tim jumped.

-/-

Dick marched down the hall; a silent plea that Jason had not chosen that room to escape to. That was supposed to be their hideaway. For Robins. After he shared the fact a couple weeks ago, Dick forced his brother to make a pact that he won't show it to anyone else and in turn promised him that Bruce and Alfred would understand if he wanted alone time once inside.

The word came from the rest that the assigned rooms were empty, and no sign of vent tampering. Dick rubbed his eyes tiredly. "You got to be kidding me, Jaybird." Ignoring Jason's sign on the door, he checked the lock to find it locked. _Hit jackpot over here._ He was tempted to not call them over. He hadn't shown Wally the room, or Barbara, or any of his friends he invited over. Too late now.

He started to pick the lock, hearing voices come through. Finally, almost a minute later, he swung open the door with his friends behind him. "That took pathetically longer than it should have." The room was empty, no sign of mischievous kids. The window was left open.

"JASON PETER TODD, I WILL MURDER YOU!"

-/-

Jason rubbed his back as they sprinted away from the manor. "Thanks for landing _on top_ of me, idiot."

Tim, from beside him, narrowed his eyes. "You were-"

A scream cut him off and Jason laughed, knowing it will enrage his brother further. "How does he know my middle name?"

Ignoring the rhetorical question, Tim finished his sentence. "You were in the wrong spot. I appreciate the help, but I could have made that jump fine." Jason grunted in disbelief and picked up his pace.

-/-

Dick fumed and paced the room, alert for evidence. He found it a second later, a phone disregarded next to one of the chairs. He picked it up, but soon found the phone empty of contents. The phone's guts, located next to it, were crushed. He closed his eyes and counted to ten.

 _They ran east, but beyond that I can't tell where they are._ Conner stepped away from the window, clearing his throat gruffly. Dick imagined he was just as frustrated to not be able to catch a couple kids.

 _They're a pair of kids. Perhaps we should wait until they come back?_ Megan's voice spoke in all their minds. Dick shook his head.

 _Both Jason and I will get in more trouble if I don't catch him now. And I have no idea how long he will stay away._ He started pacing again, trying to figure out the next plan of attack. Minutes later, he froze at the obviousness, "That's it! Jason's phone has a tracker, and this one isn't his." He waved to the destroyed phone. Dick brought up his brother's coordinates, a sly grin spreading across his face.

-/-

Jason was leaning heavily against a tree, eyes closed. He couldn't stop chuckling, imagining Dick's and Bruce's face at his success. He glanced at the boy next to him. Tim say crossed legged on the ground, eyes scanning the forest.

"Should we turn in soon? We can't run forever."

He shrugged. "No, not yet. Shouldn't leave this spot either. Dick knows these grounds better than me, and while I'm confident we won't get lost, I'm not that confident." Jason plopped down on the ground and smirked. "So do you always hack into places for fun?"

Tim shook his head. "Not really." He kept his voice quiet.

Unbeknownst to the two, Megan hovered a few yards away, invisible. _I found them._

 _On our way_ , Kaldur's voice responded.

The dark-haired boys, on a happy high with their success, were unaware of that their pursuers were right on their tails. Tim silently mourned the loss of his phone, glad he ran a last minute backup online, while he chatted with Jason. He learned that the older boy had barely been at the manor for two months, but Jason clamped up on giving away any more details. Before the two could continue along a different train of conversation, they both stiffened at the barest sound. Jason pushed himself up and lunged for cover. "Run!"

It was already too late. Dick and Wally tackled Jason to the ground, while Conner wrapped his arms around Tim's chest and lifted him off the ground. "Isn't this a little much? Megan said it earlier- they're kids." Artemis covered her eyes with a hand, looking at the ground like she was embarrassed for her friends.

"I agree. This does seem… excessive." Kaldur glanced at the two, now exceptionally small looking boys.

Jason groaned and closed his eyes. "So close."

"Not really, Jay." Dick got off his younger brother and turned to the other child there. Tim eyed the teen as he stepped over. Conner was holding him so he was eye-level with the former acrobat, and without realizing it, Tim held his breath. There was no flash of recognition in the reflecting blue orbs, and Tim tried not to feel hurt. It was years ago, and he was years younger, not to mention Tim met the older boy on possibly his worst memory.

Dick studied his brother's accomplice, or rather Jason was the accomplice, without Tim hacking into the system nothing would have happened. His brow rose questioningly when the child averted his eyes for a moment. He schooled his expression to not show how he was impressed with the feat even if he was.

"How did you do it?"

"It wasn't hard." Tim replied without giving any details. Dick closed his eyes, annoyed.

"'Wasn't hard,' he says. It took me three months to be able to hack into the manor's security." 'And another month to do the Bat Cave's.' He added in his mind. Dick tried hard to apply his Bat-glare, but it was a miserable failure. He grinned. "Good job, kid." He failed to notice how Tim did not seem the least bit surprised on how a former circus kid and billionaire ward was adept at hacking.

Jason took his opening and twisting around he was able to throw Wally off him. Prior to anyone getting their bearings, he applied as much focused forced he could muster to Conner's Achilles' heel. It felt like a fly, but his grip loosened for a split second and Tim wriggled free. They both made a run for it, but Wally appeared in front of them in the next split second. The speedster accounted for the fact Jason already knew who he was, and that Tim wouldn't pay any thought to the fact he moved in the blink of an eye. He did notice.

Dick took the appropriate moment to be impressed by Jason at catching the two off guard with only a few weeks in training. His grin grew broader, "Good job to you too, Jaybird, but you're caught. Time to report to B." Jason glared in the distance; however, he was smiling. Dick moved right in front of Jason, continuing in a dangerously low voice. "You took Timmy to our special room. I told you, only we birds are allowed in there, Little Wing."

Jason avoided his eyes. He sounded a little apologetic when he responded. "That room had the best escape window."

The former Robin huffed and took out his phone and speed dialed Bruce's number. It took a second for the man to answer. "What happened to radio silence?" was the first thing he said.

"You broke it first. Anyway, we caught them. We'll be waiting in the study on the third floor." He listened to the brief reply before he hung up. Turning back to the culprits, he crossed his arms. "You two aren't going to try to make a break for it again?" Jason opened his mouth, ready to argue, and Dick narrowed his eyes. His brother pressed his lips together and made no comment. "Good."

On the way back to the manor, Artemis stated nonchalantly, "If I say so myself, I say we leave the rest to Dick."

Kaldur had the faintest smile on his face. "Agreed. Since you were in charge of this mission, you can do the mission report." Dick heaved a breath into the chilly night but did not try to refute it.

Megan was walking with Wally to make sure the two kids did not try to escape. "You're Dick's brother, right?"

"Mhm." Jason hummed noncommittedly. "Bruce took me in the month before last."

Wally grinned, slinging his arm around Jason's shoulder. "He's a great pickpocket. I can finally swipe things from Uncle Barry." Jason shied away from the touch and noticed Tim's hunched shoulders. He nudged the boy in the ribs.

"I'm fine." Tim ducked his head to hide his smile, watching Wally from the corner of his eye. 'If he's Kid Flash I guess I have a guess on who the Flash is now.'

-/-

Ten minutes later, Dick, Jason and Tim waited in anxious silence for Bruce to finish his speech at the gala and shortly after to lecture them. Tim had no idea what to expect, he knew the man was Batman, but besides that he never was face to face with him. Jason dreaded the confrontation, arms crossed and brooding in his chair.

Dick couldn't hold it in anymore. He burst out laughing, the noise breaking the silence in the room. He squeezed his eyes shut, "Oh, this was brilliant! Probably the most fun I ever had at these things." He tapered off to chuckles, with the two kids staring at him like he was mad.

"I'm happy you find this so amusing." Bruce came through the door, closing it behind him. His voice came out as a low grumble, yet it did nothing to hide his affection toward his eldest. Dick stuck his tongue out and then settled back into his seat.

Bruce observed the other two. Jason had his eyes glued to the floor and shifted uncomfortably. The preteen had the same cautious defiance in his posture as when they first met. There wouldn't be an easy apology from him, and the Dark Knight found he would not have it any other way. The day Jason fully gave in to anything was not one he wanted to see.

The final boy met his eyes for a second before they flicked away. He looked more comfortable in his suit then the first time he forced his boys into them. Nonetheless, he could not say whether or not he's seen him before. He walked over to him, keeping the gruffness in his voice 30% of what he would do if he was Batman. "What's your name? And I'm taking it's your fault that I may need to up the security here again."

"Timothy Drake, sir, and yes… we were bored." He shot a look to Jason. The older boy shrugged and nodded, adding no more for the admission.

"You did it because you were bored?" He asked dubiously. They nodded. Dick was failing to hide his mirth. Even if the boy caught the them, he would offer his father no support here. "How?"

Tim pursed his lips, hiding a smile. "It was easy."

"I haven't gotten anything more out of him. If I couldn't detect them in the vents, I would call it a hoax."

Bruce sighed. While it would be harder to find where he needed to improve the system, he had more pressing issues to ask about. Kneeling down, he placed both hands on the smallest boy's shoulders. "I need you to be honest with me. Did you find anything else beyond the manor's security?" Dick and Jason faced them, with Dick doubting if it was even possible for anyone else to be able to hack into the Bat's files and Jason not even considering if there was a chance.

Tim had in fact noticed a secret path that he would bet led to whatever system Batman set up. He ignored it though because he didn't want the full anger of Batman and possibly the whole Justice League for the breach. Making sure he did not break eye contact, he stitched his brows together in confusion. "Anything else? No, of course not. It did the cameras and then blocked out the sensors in the vents." 'Breathe normally, Tim. This is not how I planned to let any of them know.' Bruce held his gaze for a second. After what felt like eternity, the man stood back up. Tim had to stuff his hands in his pockets to hide them shaking in excitement. He just lied to the World's Greatest Detective.

"I have a few more questions. Have you done anything like this before? There's no way the first time hacking can be done to my security." Tim was silent at his words. "I promise as long as you haven't put risk to national security or anyone's life or stolen money I won't report you or this incident."

Tim stayed quiet. When the gaze became too heated, he felt his cheeks flush, he raised his hands in the air in exasperation. "Fine! I do it sometimes at school with their cameras, other times on public streets when I'm bored. This was the first time I've done it to a private home or business. I've never hacked into government security or likewise, never stole from any bank accounts, nothing like that." He paused before daring to meet Bruce's eyes again. His expression was unreadable.

"Very well. I do have to tell you should stop. You don't know when smaller crimes can lead to bigger ones." He heard Jason release a huff behind him. He ignored it. Bruce rested his hand on Tim's shoulder, applying enough pressure to show that he was serious about his statement.

"He doesn't mean anything by it." Jason spoke up, waving his hand between him and Dick. "He helped us charity cases. He took me in after I tried to nick his tires."

Dick ground his teeth together. "We're not charity cases, Jason."

"We kinda are."

" _Jason_." Bruce narrowed his eyes.

For the first time he could remember, Jason looked guilty about his own forwardness. He curled his shoulders in and mumbled. "Sorry Dick."

"It's okay." Dick relaxed the muscles in his hands, not even away he had clenched them in fists, and flexed his fingers gingerly.

Bruce focused his attention back on Tim and asked again. "Can you promise not to do anything else?"

Silence. Then- "I promise never to endanger national security or steal from public or private accounts."

Mildly amused by the kid's stubbornness, he pointed out. "You still haven't promised not to hack into anymore security feeds."

Silence again. That's the best he could hope for right now. "Let's get you three downstairs. I need to say goodbye to my final guests." They walked out the door. As Jason passed him, Bruce put a hand on his arm. "I'm not done. I'll go over your punishment later. I haven't decided how long you're grounded for."

A slight smirk graced his second son's face, the light dancing in his eyes. "Whatever, old man." He picked up his pace until he stopped at Dick's side, leaning into him to offer silent support. Clearly, he was apologetic for his comment. Bruce forced his neutral expression to stay and rubbed his temples. 'Why did I think I will be a good father?'

-/-

Tim walked down the staircase to the entrance hall. At the bottom of the steps stood the group that was with Dick when he found them, along with a couple adults.

One of them in glasses tilted his head back pinched his lips in amusement. "I guess there's no reason to print an article on how Bruce Wayne had his security hacked by a ten year old at his gala?"

"There is no reason to, Clark." Bruce affirmed, his tone sharp. "No need to cause a panic since all my businesses run on similar security."

"Who's fault is that?" the dark-haired woman spoke next in obvious amusement.

Tim surveyed the adults carefully. The man was the easiest to identify. His eyes darted to the boy held him earlier, in that this-feels-restrained-but-I-can't-move-a-muscle grip. The two looked near identical. If the teenager was Superboy then that must be Superman. He grinned at his easy deduction and focused on the woman.

This one was harder. She wore her makeup and tied her hair back in a way that made it hard to pinpoint the defined angles in her face. However, if Tim had to make a guess he would say Wonder Woman. Happy at his conclusions, he didn't even realize his parents weren't waiting for him there.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and the possible-Wonder Woman spoke again. "Oliver left early to try and find Roy. I assume the meeting for tomorrow is still happening?" Bruce gave the smallest of nods in answer.

Dick bounded over to his friends, beaming. "I told you guys this could be fun."

"You told us 'No, they're always boring' to be exact." Conner spoke in a begrudged voice. Megan nudged him.

"But this was fun." She stated, "Not what I expected at all."

"You up for the party later?" Wally asked Dick. When his son turned to him for permission, Bruce held up his hand to say it was all right.

"We'll see. I'll be there in the hour if I decide to show up."

"Cool, later!" The redhead waved to them and the group, minus Dick, strolled to the door, chatting amiably amongst themselves.

Tim stood there awkwardly for a few moments before he mumbled a quick goodbye. He was sure only Jason, who stood next to him, heard it when he started for the door.

"Heading out?" Bruce asked, scanning the room. "Where are your parents?"

"They probably already went on ahead. It's fine, I'll walk home. It's not too far."

Bruce frowned, unhappy with the statement. "It's not safe for anyone in Gotham to walk home at this time. Hold on a second. I'll drive you."

Dick grabbed Jason's hand and pulled him along. The almost thirteen year old made a show but no real effort to break free. "I was going to sneak Alfred's cookies for myself when no one was around but I guess I'll come." Dick then wrapped his arms around both younger boys' shoulders in triumphant. Tim attempted to side-step, but it was a fool's errand to try to escape a Grayson hug, even half of one.

Bruce bid farewell to his companions and walked toward the front doors. He stopped for a quick word with Alfred, "I'm taking Tim home and the boys are tagging along. We should be back soon."

"Of course. Do you have any preparations you wish to be complete for when you get home?"

"The usual, thanks." He offered one of his few warm smiles and ushered the boys outside.

Dick's phone rang and while the teenager went to grab it, both of his captives tried to escape. Tim was the lucky one, while Jason remained trapped.

"Hey, Babs."

"How was it?" His friend's voice buzzed next to his ear. "Usually you text me out of boredom within fifteen minutes of them starting." She teased.

"It was entertaining. We almost had a security breach but I took care of it." He boasted. He could almost hear the eye roll on the line.

"For once I am disappointed that you didn't invite me." Barbara replied sarcastically. "I just wanted to check that the place hadn't exploded without the world knowing." She was laughing at him. Why were all his friends laughing at him tonight?

Dick pouted. "See you tomorrow Babs."

"Later, Dick."

Tim hid his disappointment that the car did not appear like the Batmobile. He wasn't surprised since he was with them. Sitting in the backseat with Jason, he reclined into the seat, after reciting his address.

Most of the ride was silent. Dick glanced at the backseat to see both boys starting to doze off. "You planning to go out tonight?" He asked. Jason's breathing paused as he held his breath, and Tim's ears twitched. Narrowing his eyes as he focused on the rearview mirror, Bruce nodded.

Tim felt Dick shake his shoulder a few minutes later. "Timmy, we're here." His voice was soft as he did his best not to wake his little brother. Tim blinked and stared out the window. In the distance, he could see the Drake property stretched before him. He shook the grogginess out of his head and unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Thanks," he stepped outside to the cold night. One of the craziest evenings in his life was over, and he did not know how to feel about it. He first considered at Bruce and Dick, two who he had looked up to for the majority of his life. "It was fun." His eyes landed on Jason, who appeared to have fallen asleep, but a smile graced the older boy's lips. Tim wasn't stupid. He could easily believe the kid grew up on the streets, with how high-alert he was. Nevertheless, it wasn't a simple feat to lift another child into an air vent with no problem or jump out a two story window and then sprint a quarter mile to the nearest wooded area, let alone stun two teenage heroes. He was confident in a few more months, after Nightwing spread his wings more, and Jason finished his training, there would be new Robin at Batman's side. Tim couldn't happier for the fact.

"See you around," Dick was fully turned around, hugging the back of his seat. "You going to Gotham Academy right?" Tim nodded. "Great!" He pulled out Tim's tablet and tossed it at him. "Here you go. You did destroy your phone though, so there's that."

Tim chuckled at his enthusiasm and waved goodbye. "Later then, I guess." He closed the door and then entered the code for his gate. Bruce waited until he was safely on the other side and the gate locked behind him before he drove off.

"We will have to keep an eye on that kid." He sounded more impressed than anything. Bruce turned in the opposite direction of the Wayne Manor, and Dick sente him a confused look. "Sit correctly in the seat. I don't think Alfred would mind if we go on a quick joyride. Then you can head to that party, and I'll make sure the streets of Gotham stay quiet for the night."

"You'll try to rather," Dick snorted and obeyed the command, placing his hands behind his head.

"Yes, try. I like to think with moderate success."

The engine's growl increased to a roar as they bolted to the nearest freeway. Dick closed his eyes and practically sank into the comfort of his seat.

"You know, I wasn't sure at first if I'd like being a big brother. I quite enjoy it though."

-/-

Dick walked into Tim's room, already in his Nightwing uniform and placing his mask on.

"Ready to go, Tiny Tim?"

The teen rolled his eyes. He was already dressed as Robin and was waiting for his older brother to finish. "I told you not to call me that." He tapped away at his computer screen as Nightwing leaned against his bedpost. The younger of the two didn't have a happy expression on, yet it was in deep concentration.

"What are you working on?"

"Hacking into the manor's security feed."

A sad smile crossed his face, and he pulled the laptop closer to check Robin's words. "Why?"

"'Cause I can."

* * *

 **A/N** : And there ends the first time Dick got owned by his younger brothers. I wrote it half-asleep, and edited it half-asleep, and that's never a good sign. However, the best ideas come from that- if not their polish. Let me know what you think.


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